Rev. Dr. Gregory M. Howard
The Reverend Doctor Gregory M. Howard is a native of Lancaster, Virginia and currently resides in Central Virginia. Dr Howard is the Senior Pastor of Union Branch Baptist Church in Chesterfield, Virginia where he promotes kingdom-like living by unconditionally loving God and all of God’s people. Dr. Howard has also served as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church East End in Newport News, Virginia and Jerusalem Baptist Church in Sparta, Virginia. In addition, Dr. Howard is the Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of Practical Ministry and Black Church Studies of the historic Shaw University Divinity School in Raleigh, NC. Dr. Howard has previously served as Acting Dean and Associate Professor of Homiletics and Practical Theology at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, and the Developer and Director of the John W Kinney Center for Transformative Theology and Embodied Faith. Dr. Howard is a co-planner and Black Church liaison for The Gift of Black Theological Education Collaborative. Dr. Howard is a past President of the Baptist General Convention of Virginia, and former Board of Trustee member of Virginia Union University.
Dr Howard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management and Development (Bluefield College), Master of Divinity and Executive MBA degrees (Virginia Union University), and a Doctorate in Homiletics (Aquinas Institute of Theology at St. Louis University. He is the author of Black Sacred Rhetoric: The Gospel According Religious Folk Talk and Voices Crying Out in the Wilderness: Theological Reflections Where Context Matters. Civically, he is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.,
Above all, he loves God and the challenge of helping others see God’s grace in their own lives by proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Pastor Howard believes that we have been blessed with life and created in the image of God to be with and for one another; Therefore, Dr. Howard strives to counter the many socio-cultural and religious barriers along with the varied forms of oppression with a liberative theological practice to create a more just and beloved community.
Rev. Dr. Gregory M. Howard